He’s one of the country’s ten most fascinating people, according to Barbara Walters. Even better than that, his Farenheit 9/11 was nominated as one of the year’s best films by the People’s Choice Awards.
Well, if that just didn’t rile up the neocons enough, again, to try derail another electoral process by launching some of their usual heavy-handed threats and propaganda.
Modest Mr. Moore has this to say about his unexpected nomination and the response of this adversaries:
Now, normally I wouldn’t make a very big deal out of something like this. It’s nice and I’m honored, but it’s not exactly the number one priority on any of our minds these days. In fact, when we found out we were nominated over a week ago, I didn’t even think to tell you about it or put it up on our website.
But then a group of top Republicans took out a full page ad in USA Today (and placed a similar one in the Hollywood trade magazine, Variety) proclaiming that “An election is over, but a war of ideas continues.” The point of the ad was to say that while they, as right wing conservatives, were proud of getting rid of Kerry, there was still one more nuisance running around loose they had to deal with — me! They also issued a not-so-subtle threat to the Academy Awards voters that, in essence, said don’t even THINK about nominating “Fahrenheit 9/11” for Best Picture. And Bill O’Reilly recently bellowed that if the Oscars recognize my work this year, Middle America will boycott Hollywood.
Oops. I guess he spoke too soon. Because now along comes Middle America’s favorite awards show, the People’s Choice, and the People’s Choice this year, along with a Spiderman superhero and a lovable green ogre, is a film that apparently continues to resonate throughout the country. The truth about Iraq, Bush, terror and fear. The election has not altered or made irrelevant, unfortunately, a single one of these issues. That they (and the film that dealt with these issues) are still at the forefront of the majority of the public’s minds should give serious pause to Mr. Bush as he brags about a nonexistent “mandate” and begins to spend his “political capital.”
So, get out the vote and get over to this site and let’s see if we can make a little bit of democracy work a little better this time.

When my toddler grandson someday studies the political history of the first half of the twenty-first century, I’m sure that Howard Dean will be among the few cited as true catalysts for change, as a true hero of our American dreams — a scrappy, idealistic, evangelist for democracy in the best sense of all of those words.
The tone and the substance of his remarks on the Future of the Democratic Party, given at George Washington University yesterday, should set the Party’s message until the next election is won.
Among all of the stirring, call-to-action statements that Dean made in his speech, these are my favorites:
We need to embrace real political reform — because only real reform will pry government from the grasp of the special interests who have made a mockery of reform and progress for far too long.
It is time for the Democratic Party to start framing the debate.
We have to learn to punch our way off the ropes.
We have to set the agenda.
We should not hesitate to call for reform — reform in elections, reform in health care and education, reforms that promote ethical business practices. And, yes, we need to talk about some internal reform in the Democratic Party as well, and I’ll be discussing that more specifically in the days ahead.
Reform is the hallmark of a strong Democratic Party.
Those who stand in the way of reform cannot be the focus of our attention for only four months out of every four years.
Reform is a daily battle.
And the success of each daily battle depends so much on strong, vocal, and inspiring leadership to keep the image of the destination clear and compelling on all fronts.
Howard Dean.